Enstrom Candies is known for its toffee and most Valentine’s Days each lawmaker gets a small box of the tasty treat from the Grand Junction company. Not this year. All is not right in Candy Land. Enstrom said the company is so upset that Ferrandino keeps using the fruitcake line that other lawmakers have to suffer and won’t get their box of toffee.

“He’s offending somebody who creates jobs, and pays a good wage and full benefits,” Enstrom said.

Gov. John Hickenlooper today appointed former state Rep. Glenn Vaad to the Public Utilities Commission, calling the former transportation department employee “a distinguished leader who has dedicated much of his life to public service.”

Former Rep. Glenn Vaad was appointed today to the Public Utilities Commission. (Governor’s office)

“He knows how to listen to all sides of an issue and work with varied interests to find common ground,” Hickenlooper said in a news release. “Glenn is calm, courageous and a good addition to the Public Utilities Commission.”

Hickenlooper was required to appoint a Republican because state statute requires there not be more than two members on the commission from any one political party. Two of the current members are Democrats; Republican James K. Tarpey last month announced his resignation. Vaad’s appointment is effective Jan. 7 and must be confirmed by the Senate, which provides an interesting side story:

[media-credit name=”Lynn Bartels/The Denver Post” align=”alignright” width=”270″][/media-credit] Former Rep. Ken Summers and Sen. Andy Kerr, who ran against each other last year.

On the campaign trail last year, the Lakewood residents were bitter rivals, but in a Capitol committee room today they were friends of education.

Reps. Andy Kerr, a Democrat, and Ken Summers, a Republican, ran for newly drawn state Senate District 22, which Kerr won 53 percent to 47 percent. The outcome was a bit of a shock: The winner was expected to declare victory by the slimmest of margins.

After the education meeting, plenty of lawmakers in both parties heaped attention on Summers, who joked, “I have no power no whatsoever.”

Kerr said that if the tables were turned, he’s pretty sure he’d get all that attention too, adding with a smile, “Wink, wink.”

His previous jobs have included handling press for former Congressman Tom Tancredo, state House Minority Leader Mike May and congressional candidate Ryan Frazier in his 2010 run against the seemingly invincible Eddie Perlmutter.

Compass Colorado debuted in October 2011, and was designed to blunt liberal group ProgressNow and similar efforts in the state.

“The days of conservatives putting up a haphazard front against the liberals’ well-oiled Colorado machine are officially over,” Houlton, Compass’ president, said at the time.

Little did anyone know that 2012 would turn out to be a banner year for Democrats and many of the candidates he bashed, from the statehouse to Congress, handily won election.

[media-credit id=302 align=”alignnone” width=”495″][/media-credit] Ryan Massfeller, president of the Denver Metro Young Republicans, and Colleen McMillan, the group’s finance chair, help bartend at the DMYR’s holiday party this year.

[media-credit name=”Lynn Bartels” align=”alignnone” width=”495″][/media-credit] University of Colorado regents Stephen Ludwig, Joe Neguse and Michael Carrigan at the Denver Young Democrats holiday party at the Governor’s Mansion on Tuesday.

What’s not to celebrate when you’re a young Democrat? Your president won re-election and your party controls the governor’s mansion and both chambers of the state legislature.

There were smiles all around Tuesday when the Denver Young Democrats held their annual holiday party, attended by Democrats of all ages and other folks, too. Party-goers were asked to bring a toy for the Boys and Girls Club of Metro-Denver.

Among those present: Rep. Dan Pabon, sleep-deprived but madly in love with his 14-day-old son, Denver clerk Debra Johnson and members of the University of Colorado Board of Regents. Gov. John Hickenlooper addressed the crowd before dashing off to another event.

The Denver Metro Young Republicans are holding their holiday party Friday night at the Colorado Auto Dealers Association at 290 E. Speer Blvd. Attendees have been asked to bring an unwrapped toy for the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots program.

When Republican Lang Sias lost his state Senate race to Democrat Evie Hudak, Democratic political consultants around the state breathed a big sigh of relief.

It wasn’t just about keeping the Jefferson County Senate seat in Democratic hands.

In Sias, they saw a future star for the Republican Party, one who could be dangerous on a GOP bench. Sias is a former Top Gun naval instructor with a sterling military record, a lawyer with a business background, a former Democrat and unaffiliated voter who once donated to Democrat Mark Udall’s congressional campaign. He was certain to garner press in the state Senate.

“Lang Sias scares the crap out of out me,” admitted political consultant Steve Welchert.

“I’ll take the praise but I’d rather have a victory,” Sias said today.

Well, now that they’re back in power, Democrats are turning the tables, changing committee names back to what they were prior to the GOP takeover (or at least similar to the previous names) and even creating a new committee.

Under Republicans, who had a 33-32 majority, the name of the House Business Affairs and Labor Committee was changed to the House Economic and Business Development Committee. But Democrats, who now hold a 37-28 advantage, have changed the committee to the Business, Labor & Economic & Workforce Development Committee.

Republicans had changed the House Health and Human Services Committee to the House Health and Environment Committee. That committee now will be split into two committees, the Health, Insurance and Environment Committee and the Public Health Care & Human Services Committee. The latter committee is essentially a new one and is being created to help split the workload between health care issues and child welfare issues, said House Speaker-elect Mark Ferrandino, D-Denver.

Incoming Senate President John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, on Monday terminated John Cevette, who had served as chief of staff to Morse’s predecessor, President Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont, and replaced Cevette with Kjersten Forseth, a public relations consultant and political strategist who also has worked as the executive director of the liberal attack group ProgressNow Colorado and as a union organizer. Forseth also ran one of Morse’s prior Senate campaigns.

Morse, though, kept staffer Jessica Bralish to work in his office. He said he anticipated filling the vacant jobs soon.

It’s not uncommon for such sweeps when the new leader of a chamber takes office. Prior Senate presidents, including Shaffer, also had such staff house cleanings, and these kinds of shake-ups have occurred with both parties and in both chambers.

“As is normal when there is a change of administrations, there was also a change of administration staffing,” Morse said.

Lynn Bartels thinks politics is like sports but without the big salaries and protective cups. The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog has named her one of Colorado's best political reporters and tweeters.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.